Electric motors generate heat, which is the enemy of a motor’s efficiency. A key hybrid and electric vehicle development goal is shaving weight to increase efficiency and alleviate EV range anxiety. Thanks to DHX Electric Machines’ innovative approach to dissipating energy and torque sapping heat, its new motors are 75 percent smaller, significantly lighter, yet as powerful as conventional motors.

“This is a marriage of two extremely innovative approaches – one bringing to market the state-of-the-art and efficient DeltaWing® vehicle architecture and other vehicle platforms, and the other an electric motor tech leader able to make amazing power and torque in a truly tiny package,” said Don Panoz, chairman of DeltaWing Technology Group. “We’re both entrepreneurial dreamers and together we’ll change cars as we know them today. That’s why we’re coining our approach disruptive cumulative technologies.”

The premise of disruptive cumulative technologies is the combination of innovative, groundbreaking ideas to reach a new plateau. In this case, rather than developing a new motor and placing it in conventional vehicle platforms, DeltaWing and DHX are combining their respective technologies to reach new levels of EV transportation energy efficiency and range.

New cooling technology provides big power and torque in a small package

The majority of the thermal losses in high-torque electric motors are generated in the windings. Heat typically dissipates through the stator to the frame via air or liquid cooling. DHX Electric Machines’ patented advanced cooling uses the Direct-Winding Heat Exchanger (DWHX) to remove the heat right at the source. Each DWHX features tiny channels to dissipate heat, significantly reducing thermal resistance and increasing efficiency.

“Our DHX Falcon electric motor features standard materials, not exotic steels and magnets,” said J. Rhett Mayor, DHX Electric Machines Inc. president and co-founder. “It achieves power densities of 120 horsepower per gallon (25kW per liter) and extraordinary torque of 195 ft-lbs/gallon (70 Nm/l). In simple terms, it delivers the power and torque of the standard sedan’s powertrain in the space of a one-gallon can of paint.”

“I was amazed when Rhett first showed me this new motor,” Panoz said. “Imagine a light and cool-to-the-touch 20-horsepower motor the size of a 12-oz. can, and one that fits in two hands and puts out 80 or more horsepower. It’s simply a transportation game-changer. We’ll use it in our DeltaWing road car architecture, which studies show is already in the range of the 2025 CAFE requirements.”

DHX Electric Machines Inc. has relocated to the DeltaWing Technology Group campus in Braselton, Ga. Both companies are ramping up electric motor production and developing applications for multiple DeltaWing Technology Group automotive projects.

DeltaWing Technology Group will apply DHX’s motors in road-going vehicles ranging from scooters and small vehicles designed for congested urban areas to everyday automobiles and delivery vehicles.

One such vehicle is the DeltaWing® road car. DeltaWing Technology Group created the DeltaWing® vehicle design with significantly reduced overall mass. Less weight means less horsepower is needed to move a vehicle, which reduces fuel/energy consumption. The design can use electric or hybrid powertrains and small and light high-efficiency gas, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.

The DeltaWing® architecture’s efficiencies have been race proven in the world’s toughest competitions through the Panoz DeltaWing Racing coupe, which returns for its fourth year of International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing competition. The 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship kicks off with the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona with the green flag dropping at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.